Premio Lo Nuestro 2006

Miami, FL--(HISPANIC PR WIRE)--February 23, 2006--Univision Communications Inc. (NYSE:UVN) – The star-power was turned all the way up at this year’s edition of “Premio Lo Nuestro a La Música Latina” as America’s most popular and most-watched Latin music awards show delivered its biggest night ever of the industry’s biggest name artists, both contemporary and traditional.

Tying for the biggest winners of the night were “Woman of Fire” Olga Tañón and Norteño supergroup Intocable, who each took home four awards. Tañón reigned supreme in the Tropical category winning Album of the Year for “Una Nueva Mujer,” Best Female Artist, Song of the Year for “Bandolero,” and Tropical Merengue Artist of the Year. Intocable received four awards in the Regional Mexican category including Album of the Year for “Diez”, Best Group or Duo, Song of the Year for “Aire” and Best Norteño Artist.

Starting the dazzling display of the night’s mega-star performances, singer/songwriter Juanes opened the show with an electrifying rendition of his latest single “Lo Que Más Me Gusta a Mí”. Then to everyone’s surprise, Juanes introduced fellow Colombian superstar Shakira, who managed to sneak up behind him and plant a kiss that is sure to become a memorable “Premio moment” for years to come. She then broke into a spirited performance of “Día De Enero” that had fans screaming for more. Shakira was also a big winner for the night with three awards in the Pop category that included Album of the Year for “Fijación Oral,” Song of the Year for “La Tortura,” a duet with Alejandro Sanz that also earned the award for Best Group or Duo in the Pop category.

Having established a precedent for spectacular entrances at last year’s “Premio Lo Nuestro” and again during last May’s “Premios Juventud” youth awards, expectations were running high for Reggaeton superstar Daddy Yankee’s planned appearance, and fans were not disappointed. Breaking through a massive concrete-block wall into a stylized junkyard, he was joined by an army of dancers for a rousing performance of his hit “Rompe,” immediately followed by the dramatic solo interpretation of the message-laden anthem “Corazones.” Later in the show, Daddy Yankee also took home two awards for Urban Artist of the Year and Urban Song of the Year with “Lo Que Pasó, Pasó.”

Showing a side of him that fans had never seen, Luis Fonsi rocked the house with his rendition of “Por Una Mujer.” He also picked up two awards for Best Male Pop Artist and Video of the Year for “Nada Es Para Siempre.”

Reggaeton’s premier duo Wisin y Yandel took their act to new heights with a dazzling production of “Rakatá” and “Llamé Pa’Verte” that took place not only onstage, but also above. Descending from the rafters on a sofa, Wisin y Yandel joined dancers onstage while the world-renowned Anti-Gravity Performance Company put on a graceful aerial show.

Two of the night’s most emotionally charged moments occurred when singing legend Ana Gabriel was presented the “Premio a la Excelencia” and when “El Buki” Marco Antonio Solís was honored with a special award in recognition of his 30-year career, each receiving a standing ovation from an admiring sold-out arena audience.

Continuing the night’s theme of star performances, the 3-hour spectacular finale featured the wildly successful international pop phenomenon group RBD. The talented group of young singers and dancers that was formed during the production of the smash-hit novela “Rebelde” treated fans to a medley of their hits followed by a completely unexpected and unprecedented development: in response to an audience gone wild and begging for more, the group returned to the stage for the first-ever encore in “Premio Lo Nuestro” history.

Exclusive post-show coverage of “Premio Lo Nuestro” 2006 is available on Univision.com (Uniclave: Premio). The interactive website features artist profiles, streaming audio and video of the winners, as well as extensive behind-the-scenes photos and celebrity gossip. Starting tonight, viewers can select the best and worst dressed celebrities on the red carpet by voting on Univision.com.

A complete list of winners follows.

POP GENRE

Album of the Year
“Fijación Oral” –Shakira (SonyBMG)

Male Artist of the Year
Luis Fonsi (Universal)

New Soloist or Group of the Year
RBD (EMI Televisa)

Female Artist of the Year
Laura Pausini (Warner)

Group or Duo of the Year
Shakira & Alejandro Sanz (SonyBMG)

Song of the Year
“La Tortura” – Shakira (SonyBMG)

ROCK GENRE

Album of the Year
“Con Todo Respeto” – Molotov (Universal)

Artist of the Year
Juanes (Universal)

Song of the Year
“Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor” – Juanes (Universal)

TROPICAL GENRE

Album of the Year
“Una Nueva Mujer” – Olga Tañón (SonyBMG)

Male Artist of the Year
Marc Anthony (SonyBMG)

Female Artist of the Year
Olga Tañón (SonyBMG)

Group or Duo of the Year
Aventura (Premium Latin Music)

Song of the Year
“Bandolero” - Olga Tañón (SonyBMG)

Tropical Merengue Artist of the Year
Olga Tañón (SonyBMG)

Tropical Salsa Artist of the Year
Marc Anthony (SonyBMG)

Traditional Tropical Artist of the Year
Aventura (Premium Latin Music)